Developments in information technology in the last twenty years have greatly enhanced the way in which markets for certain goods operate. In particular, the market for new and used vehicles has been helped by the introduction of numerous websites that allow users to view a tremendous number of available vehicles without having to travel to the owner's location. These websites provide users with real-time information regarding vehicles on the market, as well as the ability to make instant offers for the purchase of a vehicle. Improvements in network speeds over the years has enabled users to upload to these websites greater amounts of multimedia information, such as photographs, relating to vehicles they are selling. In addition, these websites provide continually-updated information regarding market trends.
Although these websites are often tremendously useful to buyers and sellers of many types of vehicles, they typically do not cater to the specific needs of the classic automobile collector. While classic automobile collectors buy and sell autos like any other person in the market, they also tend to have a greater interest in examining the inventory of other classic automobile owners. Many people are attracted to owning a classic automobile not only because of the nostalgia involved with owning a rare vehicle, but also because of the sense of community and camaraderie enjoyed among classic automobile owners. These owners tend to swap stories, share advice, and compare collections whenever they interact. Most online sites are more focused on the buying and selling aspect to the car market, as opposed to this community aspect.
In addition, most traditional online automobile market sites tend to fail to account for a very important factor in the classic automobile market. The vehicle history of a classic automobile is often paramount in determining the value of the particular classic automobile. By virtue of their age, most all classic automobiles have undergone some degree of repair and/or restoration. The degree and manner of restoration can dramatically impact the value of the particular classic automobile. For example, a restoration using all original equipment manufacturer parts would tend to result in a much higher resale value for a classic automobile than a restoration using replicated parts. Classic automobile owners who maintain proper documentation regarding the restoration and ownership history of their classic automobiles greatly enhance the value of their collection. Furthermore, prospective buyers of classic automobiles are keenly interested in reviewing such documentation to determine its validity and to assess the valuation of the automobile based on its history as reflected in the documentation. Because of the greatly heightened importance of the documentation of vehicle history in the classic automobile market, classic automobile owners are highly protective of their documentation and are sometimes reluctant to show some or all of their documents to anyone other than a prospective buyer showing genuine interest in purchasing the classic automobile.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a system of organizing and sharing information relating to an owner's classic automobile collection, and for ensuring that the owner has control over who gains access to information about certain vehicles in the owner's classic automobile collection.